Untitled Emotions
by Mr. Mysterioso
Summary: It was a seemingly normal mission to Sai. But things take a different turn when he meets Sakura. Throughout their missions together, an unlikely relationships seems to form. But will it work?
1. Chapter 1

Danzou's piercing stare seemed to penetrate my very being. I felt the slight urge to cringe, but I knew better than to betray any emotion in front of him, especially fear. The hard look was nothing new, of course. It was always the same glare plastered on his face, whether he was angry or pleased. I sometimes thought that one day I would be able to face him without any fear, but it is always the same; I nearly quake in a boots when I am forced to meet with him for my missions.

"Come," Danzou said, his authoritative voice booming off the walls of the large room that he and I were in. I walked slowly, keeping my head down in respect. I stopped a good distance away from him; he did not like any member of the ANBU Root to come within 3 meters of him. There was no reason as to why, since no one ever asked him. I knelt down, my head still facing the floor.

"Uchiha Sasuke. That is the next in your book, am I right?" he asked, holding out his left hand. His right arm was of no use to him, since it was bandaged and in a sling. No one knew why his arm was bandaged; I always assumed that it was due to some accident that rendered his arm useless long ago. I nodded, and pulled out a slender, grey book from the small knapsack that I always kept with me. I placed the book on the ground and pushed it towards Danzou. He caught it with his foot, and he bent down to pick it up, opening the book as he did so. The book was about halfway through; I had killed numerous shinobi prior to this mission. One would think that my guilty conscience would have kicked in by, if I had one. But I didn't. In fact, I was void of nearly every emotion in the book. Happiness, sadness, you name it, I rid myself of it. It was all part of the training, or so Danzou said. He believed that emotions are only a setback, and having bonds would eventually ruin a person. I remember not thinking so at first. But the memories that I held seemed useless and just a way to fill up space in my mind. I gave myself a mental slap for letting my mind stray, and I focused only on the words of Danzou.

"It is convenient that he should be next," Danzou started, fingering something in the book. "He was a part of the original Team Seven, after he deserted the village, of course," he continued, and shook his head slightly at the end of the sentence. "You are to act as a liaison to Orochimaru. That is where Sasuke is being held at the moment. When you are gained access to the base, you will find Sasuke and eliminate him immediately. Understood?" he explained to me. I wanted to shake my head right back at him. Of course I understood. Danzou would never have assigned me this mission if I didn't even understand the directions.

"Of course," I said, and stood up. Danzou threw the book at me and I flicked my hand quickly in the air to catch it. I stowed the book back into my little knapsack and zippered it tight. I could see Danzou nod out of the corner of my eye, his stony face still set in the same expression that he indefinitely held. He turned around and walked towards the dark opening that he had come from. I always wondered what was behind the inky curtain of darkness, but every ANBU Root member knew better than to question their harsh leader. I turned around and finally lifted my head up, staring at the soft light that emanated from the iron-clad door. Something felt different about this mission, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it. A small voice in the back of my head told me quit this mission immediately, but I knew better than to drop a mission so suddenly. So I opened the door and walked into the bright sunlight, going through the mission in my head.

"Whatever happens, happens," I said quietly to myself, looking back at the imposing building that housed the leader of our secret branch of the ANBU.


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes shot open, a cold layer of sweat covering my body. It was still dark, but a few beams of light struggled to shine through the door flaps that covered the opening to a balcony that lay just outside of my room. I knew that falling back asleep would prove to be an impossible task, however. A nightmare had woken me up, although I could not recall what exactly it was about. I knew that it wasn't the nightmare that scared me. It was the fact that I had a nightmare, something that hasn't happened in a good number of years. A chill travelled up my spine, and I feel the need to quit the mission now more than ever.

A few hours passed by sleeplessly, and the sun now dimly illuminated the room. I ran my fingers through my damp hair, and picked up a head band that bore the insignia of the Hidden Leaf Village. After looking at it for a quick moment, I tied it around my head.

"I guess it's time to leave," I said to no one in particular. I grabbed my knapsack and scanned the room for anything that I might have missed. The room was simple; a bed in one corner, and a desk with a canvas next to it in the other. A row of paintings hung on the back, all untitled. I never felt the need to title my paintings; there was no emotional attachment to the paintings I made. After looking for a minute, I turned around and left the room.

The sun was bright on my eyes, and I shielded my face as I walked out of the worn building that I lived in. The team that I was supposed to be meeting with was scheduled to convene in a training area outside the village. I wasn't too keen on meeting with them, but I knew that I had too; Danzou would be most displeased if I flaked on this mission. I had a feeling that the shinobi I was commissioned to kill was important to him. Why else would he send me, one of the best in the Root, out to kill him? I cleared my head of the questions that lurked in it, and I set off to the meeting place.

The team was late. I sat on a wooden pole near the edge of the woods, patiently waiting for the members to arrive. Being impatient was an emotion to Danzou, and he punished those who complained about waiting for too long. As I waited, I noticed a pink-haired kunoichi a little ways away from me. She was walking towards my direction, growing closer with every step. She stopped when she came close to me.

"Are you the new member?" she asked, her green eyes looking at me curiously. Her eyes fascinated me. It was like looking at a fathomless sea; I could not comprehend the emotion behind the green of her irises. Frankly, it scared me, for I never met a woman that I was even slightly interested by. My lack of emotions accounted for it.

"Yes. My name is Sai," I said, using the name that Danzou gave me for the mission. I did not have a true name for myself; Danzou stripped us of our real names when we first entered the Root branch of ANBU. I cannot for the life of me even remember what my original name was. The girl nodded, and smiled slightly.

"My name is Sakura," she said in return. Her pink hair moved slightly in the wind, and the sun caught some of it, making it shine. I wanted to say something in return, but I was at a loss for words. Sakura seemed different than the other girls that I had met. She seemed pretty to me. I knew that I wasn't supposed to think that about anyone, but I couldn't help it. I plastered on a polite smile and looked straight at Sakura.

"Where is everyone else? They are extremely late, as are you," I decided to ask. Sakura's face bent into an expression of frustration, but she quickly masked whatever anger she might have had towards me.

"They'll come," she said through gritted teeth. I did not feel any remorse for making her mad at me; I was taught to feel none. I smiled politely again, as I always have done, and I averted my eyes from Sakura. I needed to meditate and push all unneeded thoughts of her out of my head. It would do no good for my mission to be compromised because of a silly kunoichi.


	3. Chapter 3

As I looked into the distance, I saw a flash of yellow and orange running towards us.

"Oh geez," I head Sakura say. I looked quickly in her direction and saw that she had put her face in her hand. It was slightly amusing to me, but I held back the urge to laugh. I instead plastered the forever present polite smile on my face and looked forward, watching the brightly colored figure running in our direction.

"Oi! Sakura-chan!" I heard the yellow-haired boy shout. His voice was loud, and I wanted to cover my ears from hearing it again. I refrained from doing so, and simply watched the boy run towards Sakura, waving his hand wildly above his head. I turned to watch Sakura's expression. She had annoyed look on her face, but it quickly disappeared as the boy came up to her.

"Where's Kakashi-sensi? Is he late AGAIN?" the boy asked, lifting his hands and putting them behind his head. I knew that Kakashi was the leader of the team; I had seen him once, and to me, he did not look intimidating at all. The mission that I had would also give me a chance to see the famed Copy-Cat Ninja's skills in action.

"Naruto, when is he ever on time?" Sakura responded in an exasperated voice. She was clearly annoyed at the fact that the boy, Naruto, had asked such a stupid question.

"Wait… who is this guy?" Naruto said loudly, pointing to me. I balked slightly, but the polite smile remained on my face.

"It would appear that I am your new team member," I said calmly, and I held out my hand for him to shake it. The boy stared at me for a second, and he looked at Sakura.

"Doesn't seem like much," he said, a pout forming on his face. I should have been angry at his comment, but my lack of said emotion allowed the insult to slide past me. Instead, with that polite smile ever on my face, I turned to Naruto.

"I'm a great deal more than you. And you look almost as annoying as you are," I told him, and his face quickly contorted into a look of fury. He raced up in an attempt to hit me, but he was held back by the pink-haired kunoichi. This was clearly nothing new to the girl, and she continued holding him, shouting about how bad of an idea that was. After a few minutes, the boy stopped, but he still held his glare towards me.

"Please, excuse him. He gets worked up too easily," Sakura said with a shrug. I looked at Naruto, and then back to Sakura.

"If you say so," I said. I turned away from both of them and looked forward, waiting for the famous "Copy-Cat Ninja." I could tell the boy was getting worked up again about what I had said before, but I ignored it. The fact that he already did not like me didn't bother me one bit, due to my lack of emotion toward the issue. Suddenly, I heard a loud smack. I turned my head, and Naruto was rubbing the side of his face while Sakura looked at him with a look of contorted anger. I survey the situation for a minute.

"You're pretty ugly when you're angry," I said in a polite voice. I did not mean ill with what I had said; I did not know any better. Sakura's right eye started twitching, and this time it was Naruto who had to hold Sakura back from racing up to clobber me.

"Hey, hey, now. No need to fight with each other so early in the morning," a voice said with a tone of boredom. A cloud of dust suddenly appeared between the three of us, and a tall ninja appeared. When the dust settled, I knew that this was the ninja we have all been waiting for. He had a plume of gray hair that stuck out of his head, and his head band was pulled over his left eye. He also had a dark blue covering that masked most of his face, save for his other eye. I knew that the left eye was the Sharingan eye; why else would he cover it?

"Ah, you must be our new teammate," Kakashi said after he calmed the other two ninja down.

"Indeed I am," I said, the polite smile returning to my face. Naruto made a "Hmpf!" noise, and shook his head.

"Can we get someone else, Kakashi-sensi? I don't want him on our team," he said, crossing his arms and pouting. Kakashi, with an exasperated look on his face, shook his head no.

"Even if you had a bad first impression, he is a good ninja, and you will soon learn to get along," he explained, motioning to me. I looked at him, and gave a small shrug. I honestly did not care whether or not I made friends with the other two ninja. I was here to do my task and be done with it. My mind lingered on the thought of Sakura, but I shook the thought out of my head. There was no need for that kind of thinking during this mission.


	4. Chapter 4

"Now, here is our mission plan," Kakashi began, and the other two ninja listened intently to their sensei. I only listened half-intently, for I knew that plan already, thanks to Danzou. The team was to disguise themselves as Orochimaru's confidant. I knew my part in the plan, already. I was to be "captured" and transported to Orochimaru base, where I was to be a sort of "conduit" for information between Danzou and Orochimaru. My real purpose, however, was the assassination of Uchiha Sasuke. The only information I knew was the fact that Sasuke had deserted the village and joined up with Orochimaru as a part of one of Orochimaru's schemes. That and the fact that I was to be his killer.

"…And that is pretty much it. Except for one thing," Kakashi said, and held up his hand in a symbol. "I am not to be your leader for this mission."

A cloud of smoke appeared, and engulfed Kakashi. After a minute, the dust began to settle, and another person stood there in place of Kakashi. A man slightly taller than me stood there, his light brown hair dancing lightly in the slight wind. His face bore a forehead protector that shaped around his face like a mask, and he wore the standard blue suit and green vest that many Konoha-nins chose as their attire.

"I am Yamato," the man said, motioning to himself. Naruto's mouth dropped open in surprise. He did not seem like the one to hide his emotions. Sakura, however, remained composed, as if she was expecting this. Even I did not foresee this coming. What surprise I should have had never came, for my lack of emotional output hid the feeling. I only nodded, and put on a smile. I was secretly disappointed, for I had wanted to see what Kakashi was like in action.

"What are you doing here? Where's Kakashi-sensi?" Naruto asked loudly, pointing at Yamato. Yamato's face remained as composed as it did in the beginning.

"He will not be available for the mission, so I am here as his replacement," Yamato explained. Naruto's face twisted into a pout, but he did not say a word. I looked at Yamato again. I felt as if I had seen him before; maybe during an ANBU mission or something. I looked at Sakura, and she nodded her head at Yamato, then at me.

"Well then, let's get going," she said, looking directly at me. I was actually taken aback at her quick acceptance of the situation, and of the two new members of Team Kakashi. What surprised me the most, however, was her quick acceptance of _me_. She had seemed angry at me before, but she now seemed calm and ready for the mission. I was more than slightly confused, but I let it slide.

"I'll lead the way," Yamato interjected, moving in between us. I picked up my small knapsack that sat beside me, and I hopped off the pillar I was sitting on. Yamato began to walk, and the rest of us followed, picking up the pace little by little until we sped out of the main gates of Konoha and out into the dense forest that surrounded it.

* * *

We had been hopping from tree to tree for a few good hours, and the sun was beginning to set in the horizon.

"We should stop and set up camp," Yamato said, and he began to slow down. Following his direction, I too began to slow down. But Naruto refused to slow down.

"We are so near! I can feel it! Sasuke is near!" he exclaimed, hopping from tree to tree with renewed vigor. I sighed quietly. How long was he going to go on about Sasuke and how great of friends they were? It was beginning to become a nuisance.

"Stop, Naruto," I heard Sakura say. Naruto instantly began to slow down considerably, which surprised me. Did Sakura really have that power over him?

"Here," Yamato said, pointing down. I hopped off of the branch I was on and landed in a small clearing in the dense forest. I looked at Yamato, and he nodded, as if I gave him some secret message. He made a few quick hand signals, and muttered some words that I could not hear. Suddenly, a dull roar sounded, and to my surprise, a large house seemed to grow out of the ground. It was made of a dark wood, and it bore the Konoha leaf on the front door.

"Woah! I didn't know you could do that!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at the structure with wide eyes. I had to admit that I was surprised as well. I did not know who Yamato was, but to have the First Hokage's wood element… It seemed almost unheard of. I made a mental note in my head to talk to Yamato when I had the chance.

"Let's go in!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, and went rushing into the house.

"Oh geez," Sakura said, her hand cradling her face. I had the sudden urge to laugh, but I suppressed it, giving a polite smile instead.

The inside of the house was simple, with no furniture inside. Naruto seemed disappointed, but it didn't really bother me. I took a look at Sakura, and noticed that she was in the process of taking out her sleeping roll. I rushed to do the same, so that I would seem just as responsible as she was. I don't really know why I did it. It seemed only natural that I should try to impress Sakura.

"What the hell are you thinking?" I muttered to myself, rubbing the side of my head.

"Hm? You say something, Sai?" Sakura asked, turning her green eyes towards me. A warm rush flew to my face, and I bent down and shook my head.

"No," I started, hanging down in a crouched positing for a minute. "But I do have a question for you."

"What?" Naruto interjected. I did not want him to but in our conversation, but I let it slide.

"Why must you fight for this Sasuke?" I asked, looking directly at Sakura. She looked surprised to hear this question.

"W-what…" she began, but Naruto interrupted her.

"It's simple; he's our friend!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. I looked at him and I gave him a polite smile.

"He doesn't seem worth it if he left you guys like that," I started. I could see the anger welling up in Naruto, I continued on. "And if you're the one going after him, he must not be that strong either."

Suddenly, I felt a large blast of pain hit my face. I did not fall, but I stumbled, rubbing my face.

"Don't. You. Ever. Say. That. Again," I heard Sakura say through gritted teeth. I looked at her, and she was eyeing me in anger. But I saw tears in her eyes. A strange feeling began to well up in my stomach. I couldn't explain it, but I felt the need to apologize, and tell Sakura that everything was okay. But I said nothing, and Sakura turned her back to me.

"It's late. We need to sleep," she said, trying her best to keep a strong voice. But I heard the slight waver when she spoke, and it made me feel like a horrible person. I dropped my head slightly, and turned to move my mat to the other side of the room. It was then that Yamato came into the room.

"Let's get some sleep for tomorrow," he said, dropping his bag onto the floor.

"I'll take first watch," Sakura said curtly, moving to the door. I watched her leave the room, her pink hair bouncing with each step.

"Well then," Yamato said, sounding confused. I merely sat down on my sleeping mat, looking at the door that Sakura had just walked out of. I wanted to go outside and talk to her, but I refrained myself from doing so. I didn't need to make things worse. I thought of my training, and my mind went blank.

"You will go to bed," I mumbled to myself. I lay down on my cot and closed my eyes. The image of Sakura with tears in her eyes jumped into my mind. The strange feeling in my stomach appeared again, and I pushed the thought of her from my mind. I did not need distractions on this mission.

* * *

Author's note: I know it's not really to the story, but I wanted to change things up a bit. And I warn you now. After another chapter, there will be a small time skip to the period after the mission. I'm sure most of you reading this know what happens anyways. Well, I might write a little excerpt from one scene, but other than that, I'm being lazy. :D


End file.
